Ikuhiko Hata – Nankin Jiken | Books in Bytes Podcast

In this controversial podcast episode, our AI hosts explore Nankin Jiken by Ikuhiko Hata, a highly debated work examining the events of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Hata, a Japanese historian and former professor at Nihon University, approaches the subject with a revisionist lens, questioning some of the higher casualty estimates and aspects of the conventional narrative while acknowledging that atrocities did occur. Drawing on Japanese, Chinese, and Western sources, he analyzes military operations, the behavior of occupying forces, and the wartime propaganda that shaped perceptions of the incident. The result is a study that blends military history with historiographical debate, challenging readers to engage critically with contested evidence and the politics of memory. While praised by some for its source-based approach, Nankin Jiken has also been criticized for downplaying the scale of atrocities, making it a flashpoint in the ongoing historical dispute between Japan and China.

Perfect for listeners interested in the complexities of wartime historiography and how history itself becomes a battleground.

Join us as we unpack Hata’s contentious account and discuss how differing interpretations of Nanjing reflect deeper tensions in East Asian historical memory.

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*Book Information*
Title: Nankin Jiken
Author: Ikuhiko Hata
Year of First Publication: 1986
Publisher: Chūō Kōronsha (Japan)
Genre: History, Military History, Historiography

The discussion was created with Google's NotebookLM Audio Summary feature. This is an experiment to make this work more accessible and get people interested in exploring these ideas.